RANCHO BERNARDO  At her 106th birthday party this week Marie Cwiek sat down at the piano and played a part of Chopin’s “Fantasie-Impromptu” after a friend asked her to play something.

Hanging back is not part of her personality.

Wearing dangling butterfly earrings and a golden beaded necklace with matching bracelet, she raised her arms in the air as someone announced her 106th birthday and a friend shouted “Thata Girl!” She clapped, sang and moved her wheelchair back and forth as North County entertainer “Dewey” played “You are my Sunshine” and “Home on the Range” along with other old favorites for a crowd of 40 residents and friends during her party at Villa Rancho Bernardo care center.

Marie Cwiek, 106, plays a game of Bingo. She memorized her Bingo card and knows it backward. Photo by Luis Rueda

Marie Cwiek, 106, plays a game of Bingo. She memorized her Bingo card and knows it backward. Photo by Luis Rueda

Cwiek is always active. She’s up at 6 a.m. and in the dining room for breakfast with her makeup on at 7 a.m. She chooses her outfits but gets a little help dressing. She now uses a wheelchair, though her friends still consider her spry.

Every day she plays bingo from 2 to 3 p.m. and then pokeno from 3 to 4. “She doesn’t miss anything,” said friend Violet Johnson, 85.

Cwiek memorized her bingo card, which she said she knows backward. “I just enjoy the game — I don’t care if don’t win a nickel.”

Cwiek is among a growing population of seniors over 100 years old. Last month the county’s oldest resident, Soledad Mexia turned 113 in Chula Vista. As of 2010, an estimated 421 San Diegans were age 100 or older, according to Social Security Administration records. At least three “supercentenarians” 110 and older are known to live in California.

So what’s their secret?

“Genetics plays a key role in longevity,” said Stephen Coles, a chemistry and biochemistry professor at UCLA and director of Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, which is working on identifying the genes that matter in longevity.

For Cwiek, long life — and music — are in the genes. Her parents, born in the 1800s, lived into their mid-80s. Both parents were musicians. Her grandfather was a music director in Italy, and she and her brother were pianists. Her sister sang opera. Cwiek started playing piano when she was 6 — a century ago and never stopped. “I like to play classical music,” she said.

But genes are not the whole story.

“It’s also about having a positive attitude and being happy,” said Mario Garrett, professor of gerontology at San Diego State University. “Sometimes, it can be a bit delusional,” he said.

When he interviewed centenarians and asked if they had enough money, many said, yes, even when their income was below poverty level. “If they expected to live longer, they did.”

Cwiek’s formula for happy living: “Be nice to everybody — it helps.”

Lynn Adler, founder of the National Centenarian Awareness Project, identified five main traits in active people over 100: genes, lifestyle, luck, strong religious beliefs, and courage. “The most remarkable thing about centenarians is their wonderful spirit — they’re not quitters.”

Cwiek doesn’t claim to have the secret for long life, but she said she never smoked or cared to drink. “I guess only the Lord knows why I’m here.”